Why the head?
The head symbolizes the sky and is the center of planning and your visions. Every action you perform has its impulse in the brain, which is transmitted to your body via the autonomous nervous system. Day and night you receive stimuli from the environment, which you can perceive "see, hear, smell and taste" thanks to your sensory cells. This information is also transmitted to the brain via your nerve pathways and processed there. The tenth and longest of your twelve cranial nerves, the vagus nerve, leads to all important organs and has both sensory and motor nerve cells or nerve fibers. It connects almost all organs to your brain. Sensory nerve cells transmit information from the body to the brain, motor nerve cells transmit signals from the brain into the body. The vagus nerve, also called the "wandering, resting or recovery nerve," controls these functions in your body that help you to regenerate. You can stimulate your vagus nerve through targeted exercises.
Some of the most sensitive reflex points for stress reduction are on the head (neurovascular points) and on the face. The eyes, what do I not want/can I not see, and the ears, what do I not want/can I no longer hear, also react to our stress behavior. When we are stressed, we usually have the feeling that we cannot think clearly, are unable to act and/or are motionless. With the exercises we have presented, you can actively do something to strengthen your health and counteract constant overexertion.
Exercises:
Forehead/back of head holding is a simple and effective stress relief technique.
How are you feeling right now? 0 = no stress, 10 = high stress. The stress value is used for checking. After the exercise, it should ideally be between 0-2. Sit or stand upright and place one hand on your forehead and the other on the back of your head. Close your eyes and think of a situation that scares you, annoys you, stresses you or won't let go of you. Take a few deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Observe your breathing rhythm. Breathe in deeply until your lungs are completely full and your stomach rises. Breathe out and relax. Repeat this process until you feel calm and relaxed in your body. Sometimes a few minutes are enough. You will feel when it is enough and you feel more relaxed. "You can use holding your forehead/back of your head in all of the following exercises to increase the positive effect."
An ear massage helps you to refocus and strengthens your speech and hearing abilities.
Start the massage at your earlobes and massage the entire edge of the ear two to three times. Hold your earlobes between the fingertips of your thumb and index finger like a sheet of paper and stroke your ears.
Ear acupressure with our GeMa lothespin 😉
Reflexologist Helen Chin Lui has developed a therapy based on 6 different ear points. As on the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands, there are points in the ear that are all connected to an organ in the body. By applying pressure to these points, mild pain in these regions can be eliminated.
Ear points:
- Back and shoulders: For tension in the back or shoulders, use 1 minute several times a day
- The organs: if you feel unwell or have slight pain. If you have severe symptoms, please consult a doctor.
- Joints: for stiffness and joint pain, brings more mobility
- Throat and sinuses: helps with colds or sinusitis
- Digestion: helps with cramps and stomach pain
- Heart and head: helps with mild headaches and strengthens heart energy
Eye exercise:
Slowly roll your eyes in a circle or look from top to bottom and from left to right, keeping your head straight. Don't forget to breathe. This will loosen your eye muscles and bring you the relaxation you need. Do this exercise with your eyes open and closed. Holding your forehead to the back of your head increases the positive effect of this exercise.
Breathing technique:
By breathing slowly and deeply, you can calm your vagus nerve and bring your nervous system into balance. Try to devote a few minutes a day to conscious breathing. The so-called " 4-7-8 breathing technique " is particularly suitable: sit or lie down comfortably and close your eyes as you feel comfortable. Breathe in deeply through your nose and count to four. Now hold your breath and count to seven. In a final step, breathe out slowly through your mouth and count to eight. Repeat this sequence for a few minutes.
"The ear exercise in combination with the eye exercise and a conscious breathing technique are among the most effective Brain Gym exercises which, in addition to relaxed "hearing & seeing", also support the vagus nerve and serve to prevent neck and back pain."
